Declared “2023 Time’s Person of the Year,” winner of the Grammy’s “Best Album of the Year 2023,” becoming the first person to ever win “Best Album” four times in Grammy history, a hundred-million-grossing concert movie, as well as countless other recognitions, Taylor Swift has certainly become a household name.
Before 2023, Swift had always been on my radar but never at the forefront of pop culture. The news would talk about how she’s broken streaming records, and students at West would talk about her albums several times, but the extent of my Swift-listening was the hits like “Blank Space,” “Shake it Off” or “Cruel Summer.” I’d typically listen to classic rock and pop music, which is where I was introduced to her, but I was never familiar with all of her genres and songs. With all of the buzz surrounding her fame and music, it was inevitable that I listen to an album of hers in full, so I figured, why not binge-listen to them all while the iron is hot?
To ensure I would listen to the albums as many Swifties originally did, I chose to listen to every album in its original state with no bonus tracks or alternate recordings (except for “All Too Well.”) To prevent myself from having any bias towards the songs, I held back from researching so I could let them sink in by themselves. The songs below are arranged in the order that they were released.
After three months of listening to Taylor Swift (by which I’m sure she’ll become my “most listened-to artist” on Spotify for 2024), and some library fines from checking out her CDs, this experience was definitely worth it. Listening to every album of Swift’s for the first time is like discovering a time capsule I’d never opened before. Being able to experience an entire person’s career within a few months is a long journey but a very rewarding experience. Swift has released several incredible songs that I will undoubtedly add to my playlist. Without listening to each of her albums, I wouldn’t have heard some of her all-time best songs. Listening to every album certainly met mine and, hopefully, your—wildest dreams.
